Blackwing flyingfish

Hirundichthys rondeletii

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth1–3,206 m
Water temperature13–29 °C
Best monthsMay, June, and September
How commonOccasional

Photo credit: (c) Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Hirundichthys rondeletii, the black wing flyingfish, is a species of flying fish from the family Exocoetidae which is found throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Hirundichthys rondeletii”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 11 records
February: 14 records
March: 13 records
April: 8 records
May: 19 records
June: 16 records
July: 13 records
August: 7 records
September: 22 records
October: 8 records
November: 4 records
December: 9 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 1–3,206 m · Deepest record: 4,298 m

0–10 m: 7 records
10–20 m: 0 records
20–30 m: 1 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 2 records
100–110 m: 1 records
110+ m: 10 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 13–29 °C

12–14 °C: 5 records
14–16 °C: 4 records
16–18 °C: 2 records
18–20 °C: 29 records
20–22 °C: 38 records
22–24 °C: 21 records
24–26 °C: 28 records
26–28 °C: 19 records
28–30 °C: 9 records

Photos

Names and classification

English: Blackwing flyingfish, Flying fish, Atlantic Black Wing Flyingfish, blackwing flyingfish, Black wing flyingfish, Blackwing Flyingfish, brownwinged flyingfish, flying fish, Flyingfish, nonsuch flyingfish, Subtropical Flyingfish

Names in 4 more languages

Spanish: Golondrina del Mar, Pez Volador, volador ala negra, Volador Aleta Negra, Volador de Alas Negras
French: Exocet aile noire, poisson volant
Japanese: オキトビ
Simplified Chinese: 隆氏巨飛魚, 隆氏細身飛魚, 飛烏, 黑翼文鰩魚

Other scientific names: Cypselurus polyethmus, Cypsilurus rondeletii, Danichthys cribrosus, Danichthys rondeleti, Danichthys rondeletii, Danichthys rondelettii, Exocoetus brachycephalus, Exocoetus cribrosa, Exocoetus dowii, Exocoetus lamellifer, Exocoetus rondeletii, Exocoetus rubescens, Exocoetus vinciguerrae, Exonautes fulvipes, Exonautes gilberti, Exonautes nonsuchae, Hirundichthys rondeleti, Prognichthys rondeletii

Similar species

Mirrorwing flyingfish
Hirundichthys speculiger
Whitespot Flyingfish
Hirundichthys albimaculatus
Coromandel Flying Fish
Hirundichthys coromandelensis
Bony Flyingfish
Hirundichthys oxycephalus
Blackwing Flying Fish
Hirundichthys rufipinnis
Barbel flyingfish
Exocoetus monocirrhus

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
517 open-data records from 1878 to 2002.
Species data updated November 3, 2026.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist